KUALA LUMPUR: A member of the notorious Mamak Gang, who has been on the run from the law for 20 years, was killed while another was injured in a shootout with police in Taman Melawati, Ampang today.

Anuar Osman, 59, from Perak, who has been high on the police wanted list since the gang pulled off a RM12 million gold bar heist from the Subang air cargo warehouse at Sultan Abdul Aziz Airport in 1994, was killed by police at about 1.45pm.

His accomplice, a 32-year-old man from Gombak who suffered gunshot wounds, was arrested and sent to the Ampang Hospital for treatment.

Acting on a tip-off, a police team comprising officers from Selangor and Bukit Aman, who were in two unmarked cars, had earlier trailed the suspects who were in a car with false number plates.

Selangor police CID chief SAC Datuk Mohd Adnan Abdullah said when the suspects' car stopped at a parking lot near Lorong Serawak opposite a bank, the officers blocked the car and approached it but on seeing them, the driver tried to run down the cops.

Mohd Adnan said when one of the suspects opened fire, the policemen retaliated, killing one and injuring the other.

Police recovered a high-calibre revolver, a heavy-duty cutter, a knife, an axe, swords and several machetes from the car. Also found were 16 false vehicle registration plates, a ski mask and a police vest.

Mohd Adnan said the dead suspect was wanted for over 24 criminal cases and is suspected to be among the key members of the Mamak Gang, formed by three brothers from Perak and mainly comprised relatives of the siblings.

He said police believe several cases would be solved with today's success, and efforts are underway to trace other members of the gang.

From car-jacking to street crimes, the became notorious in 1994 after making a clean getaway with millions of ringgit worth of gold bars from the Subang air cargo terminal by impersonating Customs and police officers.

After the heist, the gang members kept a low profile and evaded the authorities and it was not until years later that over a dozen of them were held or shot dead in several police operations.

The gang is also believed to be behind the RM47 million microchip heist from the air cargo terminal of Penang Airport at Batu Maung in 2006 — the biggest heist ever reported in the country.

Over the years, several other high-profile robberies, especially ones involving armoured trucks belonging to security companies, had been linked to the gang whose members often masqueraded as enforcement officers from the police, Customs Department and Road Transport Department.

The dead suspect was among the few gang members still at large, out of the 14 suspects sought by police for the Subang gold heist in which the loot was never recovered.

Resource : The Sun Daily